10 Ways To Keep Your Home Secure This Winter

If you think you’re not at risk of being a victim of burglary, think again. No matter where you live or who you are, a burglar will attempt to gain access to your home if the opportunity arises. Burglars are opportunist thieves, looking for an easy point of entry, causing as little disruption as possible. In this article we list the 10 ways to keep your home secure this winter.

#1 CCTV – CCTV systems can be rather costly, but they may help you sleep better at night. Setup in the correct locations, they can enhance your home security setup dramatically. The footage that’s recorded can be backed up and stored at a remote location, meaning even if tampered with, the evidence will be safe. Burglars hate to be filmed for obviously reasons, so installing a CCTV system can deter burglars from trying to gain access to your property.

#2 A noisy dog – Ever heard the saying ‘the bark is worse than the bite’? This couldn’t be more true than for burglars. The last thing any potential burglar wants when trying to gain access to your home is a dog barking and alerting nearby neighbours that something untoward could be occurring in your property.

#3 A trimmed and tidy garden – Uncut shrubbery or overgrown bushes can act as a shield for burglars who are trying to gain access to your property through a low level window or unsecured door. Keeping bushes and shrubbery tidy can eliminate any potential danger of keeping a burglar hidden whilst trying to enter your property unlawfully. All burglars want to stay well out of sight, so keeping your gardens tidy can ensure burglars have no-where to hide.

#4 Helpful neighbours –Burglars hate friendly neighbourhoods. Neighbours who keep a watch on nearby properties could potentially alert the police if they suspect that somebody has gained access to a nearby property without permission.

#5 Security lighting – Lighting that activates when someone enters under the cover of darkness can be a highly efficient way of deterring burglars. Illuminating portions of your property can make burglars think twice about trying to gain access to your property. Burglars love to operate in the dark, so lighting up unlit areas of your property, can discourage burglars from trying to gain unauthorised access to your home.

#6 The appearance that someone is home – Burglars will avoid trying to enter a property if they know somebody is home. Having timers turn on radios/lights at set intervals can give off the impression that your home maybe occupied and therefore potentially lower the risk of your home being burgled…

#7 Home security systems – Home security systems have always been a top choice for anybody wanting to add protection to their home. From the basic, to the state of the art, a home security system will always be a must have when trying to keep your home secure. The last thing any burglar wants is an alarm going off and alerting nearby neighbours or the police.

#8 Secured windows & doors – Ensuring all your windows and doors are correctly secured is highly important and should not be frowned upon. Collapsible gates can offer a high level of security to any doors or windows that are thought to be vulnerable. Unsecured windows and doors provide potential burglars with easy access to your property. Burglars hate hard work. The easier your property is to gain entry the better.

#9 Caged letterbox – Fitting a security cage to your letterbox can prevent burglars trying to ‘fish’ for your keys or other valuables. If you don’t have a letterbox cage fitted then ensuring keys are kept a safe distant away inside is a must.

#10 Security signs – Security signs can act as a really strong visual deterrent. They can alert potential burglars to the fact your home is secured and that the relevant authorities will be contacted should they try and obtain entry to your home. Having signs placed in vulnerable areas of your home is one way of deterring anybody who’s not authorised, trying to entry your property.

Taking basic steps towards keeping your home secure can prevent the risk of burglary. Implementing any of the tips above is a sure fire way of adding to or extending your current home security setup. Take the time out now to review or improve your home’s security because one day you may wish you had.

Author Bio: Ben works for Easy Fit Security Grilles, a company specialising in Security gates for windows & doors. When he’s not at work, Ben’s a passionate writer, specialising in improving and enhancing home security.